Two Sides of the Same Coin
by 12kingdoms
Summary: FemShep/Liara one-shot. You probably found it to be like other ones you've read. You might find it to be badly written. I don't care. Enjoy it or not.


Commander Shepard was happy. She felt she didn't have a good enough reason to be, she wanted to understand better why, on her face (which was always a fortress), her eyes danced with smiling. She stood by a window overlooking the city. The sun was bright and setting everything in the room aglow. She felt today would be the day. Her soul soared on dreams. Hips swayed gracefully into view, and a melodic voice said, "What is going in your mind to cause such a look on your face?" Shepard looked up, and saw Liara, leaning in the doorway, looking at her with that scientifically quizzical expression she so loved. Liara was wearing that lovely, absolutely alluring long Asari dress that clung to Liara's slenderness. The whiteness glowed against her blue skin. Shepard smiled so peacefully that Liara felt her heart lunge with a mix of affection, and sadness. Liara had never seen Shepard like this. Not once. So relaxed. Serene, even.

She felt responsible for all of Shepard's sadness she had spent so many years now trying to undo. With peace in the galaxy she finally turned her attention to her bondmate and scrutinized Shepard's internal wounds. She had guessed, but even so was shocked at the deformities, the warps she found in Shepard's soul. She carried so much of Shepard's burdens now, she felt even more keenly the wrongs done to Shepard over the short years of the Commander's life. Shepard deserved so much. Liara realized now, since she had met Shepard, nearly everything she had done had centrifuged around Shepard, and Liara's deep desire to help her. The Commander stood, lean and dominating, arm resting by her head, against the window. The sun was lighting up the fine features of Shepard's face, her cheekbones, her thoughtful lips, her scars. Something very nostalgic looking about the scene made Liara think back to the very beginning of their story.

Liara remembered sitting in a cold, metallic space ship called the Normandy. The commander speaking was a woman from the human Alliance, recently saving Liara's life, regrettably destroying the ancient Prothean ruins Liara had spent months exploring. She was distracted, exhausted, surrounded by the dissaproving stares of the other species on board, they were all talking, she was trying to absorb, overwhelmed, overstimulated by the sudden crowd of sentient life, and Liara was talking too much. Then the commander so casually and firmly spoke of touching a real Prothean beacon, of a vision, and she really looked at Commander Shepard for the first time.

No one noticed, but she quickly measured Shepard up and down, absorbing every detail of the Commander's appearance. She wasn't tall or short. Her face was plain, creased with anger, scarred. Her hair hung limply about her face, she was obviously less groomed then Liara believed human females usually were to be. In her military casuals, she showed no obvious rank. Her body was lithe, small, not muscular and dominating. Her appearance really offered nothing. She summed that Commander Shepard, while not really showing anything appearance-wise to make her a singular woman, was, even so, powerfully present in the room. Liara could not tear her gaze away from the human's intense, focused eyes. It felt like an eternity but it was only a split second before she spoke, "That you were able to make sense of it at all is amazing, you must be _remarkably_ strong-willed, _Commander_" Liara self-conciously noted to herself how she put too much emphasis into her tone. She quickly excused herself, faint, rambling and just wanting to shut up as she left the room. She was extremely glad to be dismissed, be handled gently by Dr. Chakwas who also quickly dismissed her, and then dissapear into a tucked-away part of the ship. Darker. More quiet now. She calmed. She thought. She was swirling with all that had changed in only a few hours. She was trying to sort it all out, logically. Instead, she kept coming to one thought: she deeply wanted to _know_ Commander Shepard. Who she was, why, what she would do- Liara's hunger never ceased to grow, even now. After all they had been through.

Wistfully she sighed and kissed the hand that had for some time now been resting warmly on her face. She felt Shepard's hand pull her face closer, soft lips taking the invitation and kissing her jawline, the corner of her mouth, then her lips. Deeply. She felt Shepard's mouth open slightly into hers, felt the sensation of being caressed by such soft, curling flesh. She felt the lunge within now redouble with desire.

Shepard often could feel Liara move inside when Shepard kissed her. At first, when they touched, she could only sense Liara's physical, forward leaning, but now she was so closely linked mentally to her love Shepard swore she could sense Liara's soul leap, after Shepard. Like running. It was so intoxicating.

When Liara came to Shepard's side before Cerburus, the inexplicable expression on her face that started with a small, shy smile and ended with a slight crease between her eyebrows, ethereal, naked, when Shepard saw with hunger how Liara's curves had become more womanly, Liara gently crawling over Shepard, when they made love- Commander Shepard felt as though she would never be lost again. Liara was alive in her arms, and Shepard was in awe, always. Reflecting on that particular event made Shepard's eyes dance again. She took in the beautiful luminescense that colored Liara's face. The speckled, light-blue glow of her crest. Her lovely freckles. The two gazing, sparkling blue orbs Shepard supposed should be called eyes, though privately she felt labeling Liara's eyes at all did no justice in describing them. Shepard in her low voice broke the silence, "You know something I've never understood, but always wanted to know?" Secretly annoyed Shepard had interrupted their caressing, Liara raised an eyebrow, which Shepard instantly touched with one finger, and tapped. "Asari have no hair, yes?" Liara paused, wondering what Shepard was leading into. "That is correct," Liara replied, "While Asari daughters carry a few physical traits from their fathers, regardless of the species bonded with, they will not genetically inherit 'hair'."

Liara wondered if Shepard was thinking about children again. Shepard would often ask questions about Asari pregnancy and child-rearing. She knew, could sense, Shepard was at the stage in her life where she was ready to have them. Liara knew Shepard would never dream of imposing such wishes on Liara. She often felt guilty for taking advantage of this, of passively ignoring what was clear in her bondmate's thoughts. Liara was still very busy in her career. There was so much to do still. So much the galaxy needed after such an awful war. Shepard herself was _very_ busy, as a spectre, a war hero, a leader, a legend. Plus, although Shepard didn't understand this, although Liara was 110, Liara was something like 21 years old, in human years. She was still very young.

"Then," Shepard smirked, interrupting Liara's thoughts, "How does a pure Asari get eyebrows and eyelashes?" Shepard traced the previously tapped brow, Liara then became not so secretly annoyed. She flashed back to the Normandy, when, after nearly half an hour of Joker haranguing her about her "head tentacles," Shepard piped in and supported Joker in their assumed mutally-human-curiousity. "Really, Shepard?" she lowered her voice in agitation, "Is it really so important you know these things?" "Like I said," Shepard also lowered her tone, "I've always wanted to know." Her voice, Liara swore, was sounding purposefully seductive, and her annoyance only grew. This was _not_ her idea of foreplay.

"If you _must_ know, while Asari naturally have no hair, it is possible to get fibrous-carbon-based-organic...implants, I believe is the human term." Shepard gawked. Liara had _never_ struck Shepard as vain, yet here she was admitting to having implants on her face. Plastic surgery. Her mouth continued to simply hang. "That look really doesn't suit you, Shepard." – Liara was mad, Shepard had always marvelled at how calm and melodic her voice remained while clearly expressing her deepest feelings by her tone. "This is...news..." Shepard responded dryly "Was this something you picked up while digging around for Protheans?" "Hardly, Shepard!" Liara huffed, "It was...something I did...well...it was during a rather rebellious phase with Benezia...I was at school...all the maidens who were adventurous were trying 'the human look' ...Shepard why the goddess are you laughing so hard? It can't possibly be _that_ funny!"

Shepard couldn't respond, she was bent over, she just couldn't stop. The way people who are far too serious in life and usually don't laugh are, once she started laughing at all, she kept laughing merely because she was laughing. Shepard was gasping for air, tears streaming down her face. Liara realized twice now she had never seen Shepard like this. She swallowed a mad desire to press herself against Shepard's body, to still Shepard's jerky movements, and explore the familiar terrain with her hands and lips. She was more overcome by curiousity:"By the goddess, Shepard, why are you so happy?"

Shepard, trying to compose herself, remembered what she had been thinking before Liara had entered the room and suddenly stopped. Her face became the serious Spectre. Liara keenly regretted wiping the smile off Shepard's face. Shepard regained the closeness they had previously, she could feel Liara's magnetic field, almost crackling around Shepard. Looking at Liara, Shepard saw how the sorrow of war and death had prematurely aged Liara. Liara was more serious now. Her sparkling blue eyes now were often cast down, deep in thought. Her gestures were always confident now, she only occasionally would pace or wave her arms around. That sideways look Liara would give while concentrating on talking was now direct, assured. Shepard missed that sideways look. In many ways she missed the sweet, innocent Prothean scientist, who flustered socially but bloomed in conflict. Even the slight way Liara's forehead would crease now, was a product of thought too heavy.

Shepard had often reflected on how Liara had been put through far too much. Because of her. Shepard looked back, realizing how from the first moment she heard that lilting voice call for help she had always wanted only to protect the sweet young Asari. Perhaps that was her biggest mistake. Liara had never needed protecting. Now Liara had blood on her hands and darkness in her heart from a war that nearly destroyed them all. For Shepard.

Yet... in spite of the change, Liara was still very, very lovely. Breathtaking. Calm. Tender. Filled with unyielding love. Shepard felt her heart knot in her throat, she swallowed so hard she actually made a gulping noise that Liara tilted her head at and raised a brow quizically. There was a silence that lasted an eternity as sunlight continually danced and filtered in.

"…Shepard?" Liara's voice was almost a soft whisper now.

Liara's voice, as it had so many times before, undid Shepard down her joints. She quickly fell down on one knee. Her hands were always steady, but she fought mightily to make her muscles move the way she wanted. It made Shepard look like she was moving ridiculously slow. Reaching in her pocket, Shepard pulled out a small square box that glowed a translucence blue.

Liara gazed at it, eyes wider. The box reflected in her eyes. The blue reflecting and glowing, Liara looked curious, not sure what to expect. That was the look Shepard knew, from so long ago. It gave her confidence and she smoothly opened the box. A beautiful white diamond glittered in the light. Liara stared, gears working in her head. Shepard could tell Liara was trying to make sense of her actions, then she lit up, exclaiming, "This is the human ritual called 'marriage,' isn't it?! Two humans wear rings of metal around...one of the fingers...and that means they're like bondmates except it usually is in some kind of ceremony and it's an 'official' human way of saying you're committed to your other, although, Shepard, you know my heart is always yours, I hope you don't feel like you need to do this to gain any security from me, I will never...Oh Shepard!" Liara gasped and her eyes fluttered as Shepard's lips passionately met hers. Shepard kissed long, and hard, they finally parted, gasping for air. Shepard kissed Liara again, and again...finally Liara was speechless, dazed. Shepard smiled and said with deepness, "You know you really can talk too much. A simple 'yes' or 'no' would do, Dr. T'Soni."

"Shepard..." Liara softened, touched. She wrapped her arms around her human lover and said emphatically, "Yes... Yes..." as Shepard picked her up with her strong arms. "Thankyou," she murmered reverently to Liara, kissing her throat. Eventually lowering Liara to the ground, they held each other in their arms, leaning their heads on each other, gazing down on the glimmering city. Shepard again was happy. So happy she felt undeserving, except this time, she knew why.

"Shepard," Liara nuzzled. Shepard said nothing, still in reverie. "Shepard," Liara said again, her voice so deep the Spectre snapped into attention with arousal. "Do I really talk too much?" Liara confided, her voice light with hurt. "Yes" Shepard said dreamily, as she kissed the side of the Liara's head, "Don't ever stop. Ever. Be. Eternally. You, yourself. Mine."

Liara had been puzzled by human possessiveness as terms of love, until she had fallen in love with Shepard. She thrilled at the thought of being owned by the woman who held her so firmly. How she loved Shepard. How there never seemed to be enough time or energy to know her. "I suppose this means you'll want to start having all those blue little babies now?" Liara said business-like. "Well..." Shepard drawled "...I think that'd be nice. We'd make _great_ babies." Liara could not resist the growl in Shepard's voice. "Then," she replied, dripping with sex, "We had better get started, Shepard." Shepard looked at Liara, unable to disguise how pleased she was. "After all," Liara said, "You're a human, and a crazy one," Liara smiled, "Time is short." Shepard swooped Liara in her arms, as Liara giggled, she walked slowly towards the bedroom, and, gazing intensely at her wife-to-be and said, "No, Liara. Time is ours now. There will be time, always."

END

I wrote an alternate ending (for those who found the ending unsatisfactory like me):

Shepard grabbed Liara's big BIG boobies and screamed "SOFT LIKE OREO FILLING!" then Liara gasped and turned into a unicorn, and they rode away into the intoxicating sunset. End.

ocument here...


End file.
